The Biological Assessment of Wetlands Workgroup (BAWWG, pronounced "bog") was formed in 1997 with the objective of improving methods and programs to assess the biological integrity of wetlands. The workgroup consists of wetland scientists from federal agencies, states, and universities and is coordinated by the EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds in partnership with the EPA Office of Science and Technology. BAWWG provides a forum for wetland scientists and professionals to:

coordinate the development of biological and functional assessment methods (See Fact Sheet 6)

improve methods of managing and presenting data

Activities and Products

BAWWG holds periodic conference calls in addition to periodic conferences and technical meetings to examine topics related to developing wetland biological assessment methods and programs (Box 1). The workgroup will prepare guidance and technical papers on some of these topics to help other states develop biological assessment capabilities. BAWWG also intends to develop a peer review process for reviewing project designs for wetland biological assessment projects.

BAWWG Participants

As of January 1998, the workgroup includes participants from six states, six federal agencies, and seven universities. See Fact Sheet 4 for a summary of existing wetland biological assessment projects.

STATES

Florida
Maine
Minnesota
Montana
North Dakota
Ohio

FEDERAL

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

UNIVERSITY

Montana State University
North Dakota State University
Oregon State University
Pennsylvania State University
University of Florida
University of Louisville
University of Washington

Focus Groups

BAWWG has focus groups for five taxanomic assemblages:

macroinvertebrates

vascular plants

amphibians

algae

birds

These focus groups are identifying potential metrics and are examining topics, such as when and how to sample each assemblage. BAWWG has a sixth focus group examining the relationship between assessing wetland biological integrity and the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) approach to assessing wetland functions.

For More Information

More information about wetland bioassessments and BAWWG is available through the following sources: